News

April 30, 2013

Claire is very excited to be performing The Infernal Comedy alongside John Malkovich in her homeland, after last season's tour in the USA. Performances will take place under the auspice of the Eilat Chamber Music festival, in the Tel Aviv Museum on May 1st and the next day in Eilat. Claire will also sing in the festival's Verdi Gala concert, performing for the first time as Gilda in Rigoletto. These exciting performances have been receiving large media coverage, please visit the following links to read and watch Claire's interviews:

Being with John Malkovich for Israel Today (Matan Oren)

Meghnagi and Malkovich for Music4aWhile (Amir Kidron)

Live Interview for the Israeli Channel 2

coverage by the Israeli Channel 2 News (Yonatan Rieger)

February 1, 2013

Claire is currently in Tallinn, Estonia, making two important debuts. She makes her house debut at the Estonian National Opera as Cleopatra (Handel/Giulio Cesare in Egitto), and the opening gala concert of the Mustonenfest, performing Penderecki's monumental piece "Credo" with the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra. This performance in presence of the composer, will be broadcasted live by the Estonian Classical Radio. All performances are conducted by Maestro Andres Mustonen.

(Photo by Liina Viru, from rehearsals at the Estonian National Opera)

After returning to the Berliner Symphoniker in Berlin's Philharmonie on December 9, Claire made her debut with the Bremer Philharmoniker in Bremen in performances of Beethoven's Egmont alongside renowned actor Sebastian Koch, conducted by Maestro Markus Poschner. She also performed Mozart's Exsultate Jubilate in a special Afterwork concert, again with Maestro Poschner.

Markus Wilks of the Bremer Nachrichten wrote of her performance: "Perfect Beyond doubt was soprano Claire Meghnagi who mastered her songs with an outstanding stunning resonant voice" (Bremer Nachrichten, 17.12.12)

(Photo: Sebastian Koch, Claire Meghnagi, Markus Poschner after perfromance)

October 30, 2012

Season continues with intensive performance schedule! For season opening concerts at the Israel Chamber Orchestra, Claire sang both roles of Gabriel and Eva in Haydn's monumental Die Schöpfung. Yet again Claire's performances are received by rave reviews: "Complete Perfection! If heaven exists, this is how the angels would sound like – pure gleaming voice, crystal clear, glowing as a diamond, supported by remarkable singing technique. I mean not only her excellent designed coloraturas, but also – and mostly - her focused vocal production. Her voice penetrates the space as a laser beam, without changing its beautiful color even in the highest register. On the contrary, her voice remains soft and round in all register ranges" (Tav-et.com). For full reviews please visit our press page!

October 17, 2012 

Claire has just opened her 2012/13 season with an 8 concert tour of Bach's Matthäus-Passion in Israel, with the Israel Netanya Kibbutz Orchestra. Her performances received great critical acclaim, as well as very enthusiastic ovations by the audience during the concert, as described in the critics: "Her Musical expression and delivery were genuinely touching, her singing personal, warm and heart-rending. We were lucky to receive a bonus: Mendelssohn's version gave the beautiful "Erbarme Dich" to his soprano, and so we received Meghnagi in a magnificent performance that received enthusiastic applause in the middle of the concert. This is perhaps not very customary, but felt completely right. Another highlight was the heart breaking aria "Aus Liebe", which was in my opinion, this concert emotional peak." (Omer Shomrony, Globes, October 10, 2012). Yediot Achronot, Israel's leading newspaper wrote: "The Israeli singer, much in demand in Israel and abroad, was at her best. Beautiful clean voice full of emotion and nuance, poised while expressing the words through music..." (Maxim Reider, Yediot Achronot, October 16, 2012). Full critiques (in Hebrew) could be read here

August 15, 2012

We are happy to announce Claire's exciting new 2012-2013 season. Season includes debuts at the Estonian National Opera as Cleopatra (Handel), concerts with Estonia Symphony Orchestra, Bremer Philharmoniker and role debuts as Pamina (Mozart) and Rosina (Rossini) in Israel. She returns to the Berliner Symphoniker, the Israeli Chamber Orchestra, Israel Kibbutz Orchestra as well as the Eilat Chamber Music Festival with "The Infernal Comedy" alongside John Malkovich, among others. For full dates and venues please visit our Schedule page!

June 14, 2012

The Marc Lavry Heritage Foundation invites the public to join celebrities, VIPs and musicians in special evening of the musical heritage of Marc Lavry, the forefather of Israeli music. Claire Meghnagi performs in this exciting event upon special invitation by the composer's daughter, harpist Efrat Lavry. She will sing arias from Lavry's Song of Songs (1940), as well as Israeli art songs Hora (1950) and Boa Dodi (1949). Marc Lavry’s musical style is lyrical and communicative. In incorporating the folk tunes and rhythms of the country he is considered one of the national composers of Israeli music.

The concert is broadcast live by the Israeli Broadcasting Authority, June 17, 20.30. http://www.marclavry.org/gala/

May 12, 2012

Claire returns to the Israeli opera, making her debut is the role of Euriduce in Gluck's Orfeo ed Euridice, in new and exciting production by Mariusz Trelinski. Claire performs alongside counter tenor Alon Harari making his main stage debut, in an all-Israeli cast conducted by David Stern. Her Euridice already received critical acclaim at the Israeli media - "It is difficult to describe in words the beauty and quality of her voice... enough to say that even her most simple recitative get volume and presence beyond comprehension..." (tav-et.com). More performances this week at May 16, 18, 20, 21

March 17, 2012

For her upcoming performance at the Eilat Chamber Music Festival, singing first soprano in Mozart's Great Mass in C minor, at the festival's closing Gala, Claire was interviewed for several Israeli major newspapers.

The Gala Concert, conducted by Andres Mustonen, is broadcast live tonight by the Israeli Classical Radio station IBA.

Download Interview (in Hebrew)

January 21, 2012

Claire has just made her debut as Cleopatra in Handel's Giulio Cesare in Egitto at the Finnish National Opera's first baroque production in 15 years. For her opening night's performance Claire received outstanding critical acclaim by numerous International and National critics - Seen and Heard International wrote: "Superb... a beautiful voice, with enough power to carry even in a rather large hall, and her coloratura technique is fabulous… Israeli soprano Claire Meghnagi, is a marvellous actress as well", while Finland's Amfionwrote her "dazzled and cunning, sexually self-assured of Cleopatra, a glowing light, precise soprano reigned supreme sky lightly", and Helsinki's Sanomat called her  "Gorgeous and Kittenish". All reviews are coming soon on our Press page.

November 12, 2011

Claire will make her Debut performance at the prestigious Philharmonie hall in Berlin, singing Mahler 4^th symphony with the Berliner Symphoniker conducted by Lior Shambadal. More info and tickets here.

September 28, 2011

Claire is much exited to be performing in Michael Sturminger's innovative productionThe Infernal Comedy – Confessions of a serial killer starring John Malkovich as Jack Unterweger, alongside soprano Sophie Klussmann and Musica Angelica baroque orchestra conducted by Martin Haselboeck. The production is now touring the USA in such venues as Boston, Ann Arbor and Santa Barbara. Read more here. Special interview for YNET – Israeli news online – can be read here.

September 14, 2011

Claire is busy these days recoding a special CD featuring her favorite lieder by Mahler, Chausson and Israeli composer Oded Zehavi, accompanied by pianist Irina Friedland. The CD will also include arrangements for traditional Israeli songs with chamber ensemble by Zehavi. The program will be performed on a special recital at the Tel Aviv Museum of Arts, in October 11, 2011.

August 29, 2011

Claire has recently been interviewed by the Mexican opera reviewer Mr. Ramon Jacques, for his opera website Una Voce Poco Fa. In this interview she speaks about the opera scene in Israel, her "dream roles", being a traveling opera singer and a mom, special stage moments and inspiration.  This very special interview can be read online here.

June 10, 2011

Editor of the prestigious Gramphone UK magazine, Mr. James Inverne, writes on the June Issue about the 6th Eilat Chamber Music Festival:

"Best of all, the Jewish festival of Purim was marked by an unusual celebration – a Venetian masque. A loose yet lovely narrative structure based around different kinds of love traversed traditional Venetian songs and works... a spirit of off-kilter fun pervaded the show, with humor... soprano Claire Meghnagi (dark, focused tone) found repose, languor, and reflection aplenty... top honours... to Avi Avital's supple, thrusting mandolin-playing..."

April 20, 2011

We are happy to announce that the France 3 documentary film, Baroque Academie was just released as DVD. The film, by Priscilla Pizzato and Martin Blanchard, portrays the exceptional adventure of the 2007 Jardin des Voix tour. The aim of Jardin des Voix, a prestigious academy set up by the great conductor William Christie, is to reveal the talent of young singers thanks to a tour of the world's major concert halls.

In 2007, ten young people, between 21 and 29 years of age, were able to enjoy this unique experience alongside the master of baroque music. Soprano Claire Meghnagi was one of those ten young singers, had been chosen among over 200 candidates from all over the world.